No birder has seen the BBC’s “Attenborough in Paradise” documentary without feeling compelled to visit the magnificent island of New Guinea. Undoubtedly a high priority on any world birder’s agenda, the island offers a star-studded cast of quality birds. Beyond the famous birds-of-paradise, a typical tour yields jewel-babblers slinking away in the undergrowth, incredible gold-and-black whistlers, gorgeous parrots, rowdy cockatoos, bizarre bowerbirds, exquisite fairywrens, and a breathtaking suite of multi-colored doves and impressive kingfishers.

Day 1: Port Moresby. After arrival, we’ll bird some Eucalyptus woodlands near the city. This area has a distinctly “Aussie” feel. Our main targets will be Fawn-breasted Bowerbird and Black-backed Butcherbird, and the first of many endemics, like Brown Oriole and Gray-headed Munia.

Day 2: Port Moresby to Kiunga. This morning we fly to Kiunga in western PNG. This is Fly River country, home to a host of scintillating lowland forest species and an area that provides some of the very best Papuan birding. We begin by visiting the site where Attenborough’s BBC crew filmed Greater Birds-of-paradise. We’ll also be looking for birds flying through the canopy including Red-cheeked Parrots and Orange-breasted Fig-Parrots, and we can search along a trail for other forest interior birds like the notoriously shy Blue Jewel-babbler and New Guinea Babbler. We overnight in Kiunga.

Days 3-4: Fly and Elevala Rivers. We take motorized canoes up the Fly and Elevala rivers, entering one of the greatest wilderness areas in PNG. Outlandish Palm Cockatoos cross the river and considerable numbers of Blyth’s Hornbills, colorful Eclectus Parrots, and bright pigeons are sure to leave a lasting memory. We’ll stake-out key areas for some of New Guinea’s most spectacular birds; the pole-dancing Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise, the elegant crimson-and-snow-white King Bird-of-paradise, replete with tail-streamers of coiled green ribbon, and the incredible gold-and-orange Flame Bowerbird. We will need much luck and some time to find some of the other more reclusive forest denizens, like the immense Southern Crowned-Pigeon. Working a few trails will give us a shot at Common and Little Paradise-Kingfishers, Hooded and Blue-breasted Pittas, Spot-winged and Black-faced Monarchs, and Emperor Fairywren. The first night will be spent upriver at a simple rustic lodge, and the second back in Kiunga.

Days 5-7: Tabubil. Today we’ll drive to the Ok Tedi Valley and spend three nights in the foothills of the Star Mountains. Two very shy “BOP”s are our main targets: the aptly-named Magnificent Bird-of-paradise and the furtive Carola’s Parotia. Other notable birds include Red-flanked Lorikeets, and diminutive Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrots. We’ll also visit a spot for the strange and crepuscular Shovel-billed Kookaburra. Other excellent species in the Tabubil area include White-eared Bronze-cuckoo, Golden Cuckooshrike, Stout-billed Cuckooshrike, Great Cuckoo-Dove, Mountain Peltops, and the rare Obscure Berrypecker.

Day 8: Tabubil to Kumul. After breakfast we fly to Mt. Hagen, and drive to Kumul Lodge, our superb base for the next three nights.

Days 9-10: Kumul Lodge. This lodge offers comfortable rooms in a beautiful mountain setting. Our exploration will begin right in the garden, where the world-famous feeding table provides the unique experience of seeing birds-of-paradise from the lodge window. Strict protection policies of landowners have resulted in many birds being rather tame, and Brown Sicklebill, Brehm’s Tiger-Parrot, Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, and Crested Berrypecker can all be found within the grounds. We’ll make excursions to seek out the spectacular flame-colored Crested Satinbird, unique King-of-Saxony Bird-of-paradise, and scarce Lesser Bird-of-paradise. Some trail work is required to go after Tit Berrypecker, Wattled Ploughbill, Blue-capped Ifrita, and Black-breasted Boatbill.

Day 11: Kumul Lodge to Port Moresby. We return to Mt. Hagen and fly to Port Moresby, where we overnight.

Day 12: Port Moresby to Ambua Lodge. We fly from Port Moresby to Tari, spending three nights at the luxurious Ambua Lodge, where the dramatic mountain scenery and spectacularly adorned Huli Wigmen will be an undoubted highlight.

Days 13-14: Tari Gap. Tari is world famous thanks to easy access to a range of elevations. The lodge grounds are spectacular, and a great place to watch for odd Short-tailed Paradigallas. Tari is rich in birds-of-paradise, and it is not unheard of to record eight species in a day. This is one of the better places to go after the dazzling Blue Bird-of-paradise, and the weird Black Sicklebill with its bizarre “spaceship” display. Other cool montane species in this area include Lesser Melampitta, Stephanie’s Astrapia, Yellow-browed Melidectes, and the notoriously skulking Forbes’s Forest-Rail. Ambua is a parrot-lover’s paradise and here we’ll look for Papuan King-Parrot and several lorikeets and tiger-parrots. There are also many rarer birds here, and we will need some luck to find the likes of Papuan Treecreeper, New Guinea Harpy Eagle, Northern Logrunner, and the skittish Sanford’s Bowerbird.

Day 15: Tari to Port Morseby. After breakfast we fly to Port Moresby, where we spend the next three nights.

Days 16-17: Varirata. In this park near Port Moresby, we should find our last bird-of-paradise, the Eastern Riflebird and lekking Raggiana’s Bird-of-paradise. Other key species include Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher and the strange Barred Owlet-Nightjar at a day roost. On the trails we’ll seek out charming Yellow-billed Kingfishers, smart Chestnut-bellied Fantails, toxic Hooded Pitohuis, and the unique Dwarf Whistler (Goldenface). Like other forested areas of PNG, this park is home to many extremely shy birds, including Painted Quail-thrush, White-eared Catbird, Pheasant Pigeon and Chestnut-backed Jewel-Babbler.

Day 18: Port Moresby to Brisbane. We jet back to Australia, connecting with flights home, or head to New Britain.

New Britain Extension (6 days)
This extension adds many localised endemics to a burgeoning triplist. One of the world’s most charismatic families, the kingfishers, rank highly, with the stoic Beach Kingfisher patrolling the offshore islands, the endemic White-mantled Kingfisher sneaking about the forest canopy, and the tricky Black-headed Paradise Kingfisher flitting through the mid-storey. Everywhere on this island, pigeons and parrots dominate, and the clanging raucous noises of Eclectus Parrots are omnipresent. We will be staying at the dive resort of Walindi, a superbly managed and wonderfully relaxing place. We have set aside a full day to explore the offshore islands of the Kimbe Bay, which hold many birds restricted to the Solomon Sea, as well as chances for two seabirds virtually unknown till a few year ago, Heinroth’s Shearwater and Beck’s Petrel.

TOUR INFO

CLIMATE: Hot and humid around Port Moresby and Kiunga. Generally pleasant in the mountains, but the early mornings at Kumul Lodge can be downright cold. Expect some rain, occasionally heavy, at any time.

DIFFICULTY: Most of the walking is easy, though there are some short, steep trails at Kumul and Dablin Creek. The birding is very challenging, but fortunately the birds-of-paradise are usually not difficult to see.

ACCOMMODATION: At Kiunga and Tabubil, we’ll stay in fairly good hotels with air conditioning. In Port Moresby, Kumul, and Ambua, the lodges are excellent. All of these places have private bathrooms, hot water, and electricity. We do stay one night in very basic accommodation at Ekame lodge. It has simple thatched huts with cots. There is no electricity or running water. Staying here saves many hours in the boat and dramatically increases your chance to see several of the key birds of the region, so we believe it is worth spending one night here despite the poor accommodation.

Special notes for this tour:

1) This tour is priced based on using special airfares only available if your flight from Brisbane to Port Moresby is on the same ticket as the internal flights. This means that we will have to book that flight for you, and we will inform you of the price once it becomes available.

2) It is quite likely that the final itinerary for this tour will be different from the one given above. Flight schedules in Papua New Guinea are complicated and ever-changing. Most flights only operate only on certain days of the week, and the itinerary above is based entirely on those schedules. We will monitor the situation, and adapt our itinerary as necessary. Flights can even change on a moment’s notice based on weather conditions (or even the whims of the airline!), so last-minute modifications are also a distinct possibility.

3) Papua New Guinea is an underdeveloped country. While we endeavor to use the best providers possible, sub-par service (e.g. uncomfortable or poorly-maintained vehicles, fuel shortages, cancelled or redirected flights) can sometimes cause inconveniences to travelers. Every tour company running trips here has to deal with this, and we feel it is best to inform you beforehand, as it can be quite disconcerting considering the costs involved in visiting this country.